Chapter Sixty-Four: The World Beneath the Lake (Part Two)

No matter whether she could open it or not, it was always worth a look first. If it truly proved impossible, she could stay here and cultivate for a while; once her strength was great enough, she could break through in one decisive strike. With this thought, her gaze swept across her surroundings, but after searching carefully, she failed to identify anything resembling a barrier. Left with no choice, she braced herself and asked again, “Senior Divine Beast, where exactly is the barrier?”

“In truth, everywhere here is a barrier. But if you wish to leave, you only need to break through the one at the Crystal Palace’s main gate.” Ao Feng’s voice rang out once more.

At his words, Ji Mo immediately strode toward the main gate. She was not far from it—just a few dozen meters away. When she reached the gate, she examined it closely. It was constructed from a kind of crystal, clear and luminous, and not particularly different from the rest of the palace. Of course, with her current knowledge, she had no hope of identifying the material.

Ji Mo was not interested in figuring out the palace’s composition; her concern was how to leave this place safely and return to the lake’s surface. She scrutinized the gate for quite some time, but it yielded no secrets, so she tentatively reached out to push it.

A sensation, both soft and extremely resilient, greeted her fingertips. Ji Mo’s eyes widened in surprise. She applied a little force with her palm, but was instantly bounced back.

So, force didn’t work? Ji Mo tried gently placing her hand against it again. Sure enough, as long as she didn’t use force, she wasn’t repelled. Bit by bit, she carefully extended her hand inside, and before she realized it, her whole hand had passed through. Elated, she stepped forward, intending to see if her body could follow—but the instant she moved, she was flung back.

Refusing to give up, Ji Mo repeated the experiment several times, but each attempt ended in failure. If gentle methods didn’t work, what about brute force? With a deep breath, she retreated several steps, then charged at the door, swinging her fist at it with all her might.

There was a resounding bang. Ji Mo was blasted dozens of meters backward, crashing onto the crystal floor. Her ears rang, her vision blurred, her mind buzzed; her limbs were numb, trembling uncontrollably. Only after the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn did she manage to move her neck and clamber upright, propping herself against the wall, glancing fearfully toward the distant gate, her eyes flickering as she pondered.

“With your current abilities, even if you cultivated for a thousand years, you would never be able to break this barrier,” Ao Feng’s voice sounded again, clearly unsurprised by her predicament.

“Then how did I get in here?” Ji Mo asked.

“It was the dragon spirit within your spiritual weapon that brought you in. It could enter, but it cannot leave. What’s more, that dragon spirit was already gravely wounded and hadn’t recovered. This time, bringing you through the waters of Moon Lake and past this barrier nearly exhausted all its energy. Without a treasure to restore it, the dragon spirit may fall into an endless slumber,” Ao Feng replied.

Would the soul of the Jade Dragon Whip really fall into perpetual sleep? Ji Mo was alarmed, but then she wondered if the palace’s divine beast was merely trying to scare her. Feeling indignant, she retorted, “Senior, in the end, you just want me to accept the inheritance trial. If I refuse, I’ll be stuck here forever, is that it?”

Ao Feng chuckled. “That is indeed the case, little girl. But there’s one thing I don’t understand and hope you can clarify. From what I know of humans, most would be overjoyed by such an opportunity. Why do you wish so fervently to escape?”

Ao Feng seemed to be a patient creature. Ji Mo had been in the palace for quite some time and hadn’t obeyed its wishes, yet it had never shown the slightest anger. In some respects, its magnanimity far surpassed a certain immortal who resided in her own spiritual sea. Ji Mo couldn’t help making the comparison and silently grumbled in her heart.

“I’ve already received more than enough good fortune; I dare not covet any more. If one grows too greedy, even the heavens will not tolerate it. The reason I fell into this place was because I was greedy enough to join others in seizing a treasure,” Ji Mo replied, thinking highly of Ao Feng’s temperament but unwilling to abandon her own principles.

Ao Feng burst into laughter. “You are an interesting girl. But fate is called fate for a reason. If this opportunity is destined for you, you cannot avoid it even if you try. You think you fell into this lake because of greed, but perhaps, from another point of view, your time had come, so Heaven brought you here?”

Ji Mo wanted to argue, but the words stuck in her throat. If Heaven truly meant to punish her, she would already be dead, not alive and well as she was now. Yet, to say all this was her destined opportunity—Ji Mo felt she had neither the strength nor the will to bear it. In truth, her real reason for refusing the inheritance was an aversion to being burdened with responsibilities and karma that had nothing to do with her.

“Senior Ao Feng, why don’t you first tell me about this so-called Watermoon Divine Palace? Let me see if I’m even capable of accepting the inheritance,” Ji Mo said, sitting cross-legged against the crystal wall in a most unceremonious fashion.

“It is not my place to reveal too much about the Blue Moon Divine Palace. I can only tell you this: your sect, Moonwatching Sect, is deeply connected to the Blue Moon Divine Palace,” Ao Feng replied after a brief silence.

Deeply connected to our Moonwatching Sect? Ji Mo was startled, but then it made sense—after all, Blue Moon Lake was within Moonwatching Sect’s territory, so a connection was only natural. Yet another question came to mind. “If there’s such a close relationship, why didn’t you choose someone from Moonwatching Sect to inherit the Blue Moon Divine Palace? Why wait for me to come in?”

“When you first woke up, I already told you: you are the first person in two hundred thousand years to enter this palace. Moonwatching Sect has existed for over a hundred thousand years, but not a single person has been able to enter this place. How could I find an inheritor?” Ao Feng replied with a wry smile.

“They can’t get in, but can’t you get out?” Ji Mo asked.

“If I were to leave this place, your entire cultivation world would collapse instantly,” Ao Feng answered with a light laugh.

“What! You mean the power you possess is more than this world can endure?” Ji Mo exclaimed in shock.

“Indeed, you’re a clever girl. I don’t need to explain much,” Ao Feng said approvingly, his good nature evident.

“Senior, does this mean… you’re not from our world—not even a divine beast of this realm? And the Blue Moon Divine Palace isn’t a sect of the mortal plane, is it?” Even Ji Mo, usually quick-witted, was left a little dazed, her words stumbling.

“That’s right, you can understand it that way,” Ao Feng nodded.

“But… if the Blue Moon Divine Palace is so extraordinary, why is it connected to a mere fifth-rank sect like Moonwatching Sect?” Ji Mo’s stammer grew even worse.